Lanvin Group Shows Resiliency in Sales and On-Track Margin Improvement in 2023

Lanvin Group (NYSE: LANV, the “Group”), a global luxury fashion group with Lanvin, Wolford, Sergio Rossi, St. John and Caruso in its portfolio of brands, today announced its results for the full-year 2023.  The Group achieved revenue of €426 million, a 1% increase year-over-year versus 2022; and gross profit of €251 million, representing a 59% gross margin and a 250bps increase versus 2022.

Zhen Huang, Chairman of Lanvin Group, said: “I’m honored to have become the Chairman of Lanvin Group in 2023. The Group has made significant progress since its inception in 2018. In reviewing our 2023, I thought back to the resiliency we showed during the pandemic, posting growth every year, and I see the same resilience and our ability to thrive in any environment, this past year. I believe we are on the right track and am optimistic we will reach our growth and profitability goals.”

Eric Chan, CEO of Lanvin Group, said: “Managers drive companies, and their teams drive results. I am thoroughly impressed by the efforts of our managers and our teams to maintain growth and continue to forge the path to profitability in a challenging market environment. My team, along with our brand managers remain resolute in our mission to grow our brands and drive profitability.

We are a group of brands with a provenance and heritage second-to-none, and I am proud of what we have accomplished in 2023. We are collectively on a journey, and I am very optimistic about our future.”

Review of the Full-Year 2023 Results

Selected Highlights

Maintained growth trend: In the face of growing headwinds for the industry, the Group maintained growth with a 1% improvement over the prior year. All brands showed resiliency and maintained steady revenue in EMEA and North America and highlighted by nearly 8% growth in APAC. E-Commerce continued to thrive with 3% growth, while overall DTC and Wholesale channels stayed flat. E-Commerce sales in the US, in particular, saw growth by leveraging the group’s US digital platform.

Continued positive progress with margin profile: Margins at all levels, gross profit, contribution profit, and Adjusted EBITDA saw improvement in 2023. Gross margin increased to 59% from 56%, contribution profit margin improved to 6% from 3%, and Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of sales improved by 198bps from 2022.

Refocused brand and product strategies showing results:  One of the main drivers of growth in 2023 was the refocus of brand strategies and optimization of product categories and mix. New product lines and categories, collaborations, and a focus on accessories all impacted the growth and margins. Lanvin brand went through a creative transition in 2023, further cementing the vision for the future of the Group to harness each brand’s legacy and utilize its archives as we evolve our product categories and offerings.

Significant progress optimizing store network: The Group continued to cull its footprint with the closure of 36 stores while successfully launching 24 new retail doors, systemwide. Improved store strategies implemented in 2023 provided better unit economics, with the Group’s DTC revenue remaining steady despite an overall reduction of retail doors. Improved store metrics from strategic changes implemented starting in 2022 have paved the way for Lanvin to grow its base significantly with five, net new locations and its first in the Middle East in Riyadh.

Discussion of FY2023 Financials

Revenue

For FY2023, the Group generated revenue of €426 million, a 1% increase year-over-year. The DTC and Wholesale channels were slightly down, but e-Commerce sales (a part of the DTC channel) grew by 3%. Other revenue, which includes royalty income rose significantly, benefiting from the reacquisition of Lanvin’s Japanese trademarks in March 2023. The Group maintained its growth trend with a compound annual growth rate of 24% since 2020. Full details of the Group’s revenue can be found in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Gross Profit

Gross profit increased to €251 million, representing a 59% margin versus €238 million in 2022 at a margin of 56%. The improvement in gross profit margin was driven by increasing accessories as a proportion of sales, and continued emphasis on higher-margin DTC revenue as a proportion of total sales. Additionally, refining the product offerings helped improve inventory management, with more core products with higher sell-through rates.

Contribution Profit ⁽¹⁾

The Group uses a measure, internally, called contribution profit, defined as gross profit less selling & marketing expenses to gauge the variable profitability performance and analyze the improvements at our brands. Contribution profit for the year was €24 million, representing a 6% margin and an improvement of €11 million from 2022. The contribution profit is more than five times higher than in 2021, the first year of positive contribution profit. The Group continues to show steady progress in managing its operating expenses and increasing margins.

Adjusted EBITDA

Adjusted EBITDA remained at loss for 2023, but as a percentage of sales, continued to improve going from (19%) in 2021 to (17%) in 2022 and (15%) in 2023.

Results by Segment

Lanvin: Revenue was down, but the brand improved the trend in the second half of 2023, improving from a 11% decrease in the first half to land at a decrease of 7% for the full year with revenue of €112 million. Gross profit increased to €65 million, at a margin of 58%, from €61 million, at a margin of 50%, in 2022. Gross profit improved from higher full-price sell-through, an increase in the balance of accessories versus ready-to-where sales, a further shift to higher-margin boutique sales, and better inventory management. Contribution profit continued to improve going from a contribution loss of €15 million in 2022 to a contribution loss of €12 million in 2023 with the percentage of sales improving year-over-year from negative 13% to negative 11%.

Wolford: Revenue grew slightly by 1%. Gross profit decreased to €83 million from €86 million, in 2022, and margin declined from 69% to 66% due to a reclassification of expenses. Contribution profit remained steady at €4 million in 2023 at a margin of 3%.

Sergio Rossi: Revenue was down by 4% decreasing from €62 million in 2022, to €60 million. Gross profit margin increased from 50% to 51% in 2023. Gross profit margin improved from an increased proportion of higher-margin DTC sales. Contribution profit margin improved in 2023, from 11% to 12% from better management of selling and distribution costs.

St. John: Revenue increased by 5%, from €86 million to €90 million. St. John’s margin profile continued to improve with gross profit growing from €53 million to €57 million in 2023; with margin increasing from 61% to 63%. St. John implemented a new wholesale model, which improved its gross margin. Contribution profit also increased from €10 million to €11 million; margin remained steady at 12% with some of the wholesale expense reduction that helped improve gross margin being reclassified as selling expense.

Caruso: Revenue increased significantly by 30% going from €31 million to €40 million in 2023. Growth came from an expansion of production capacity and additions to its specialized workforce. Caruso continued its strong, steady performance with its gross profit increasing from €7 million to €11 million in 2023, and margin increasing from 23% to 28%. Contribution profit also increased from €6 million to €9 million, and contribution profit margin increased markedly from 18% to 24%. Profitability improved by streamlining production and higher sell-through of its proprietary Caruso brand products. Caruso achieved breakeven Adjusted EBITDA for the year.

2024 Outlook

The macroeconomy remains uncertain, but regions like North America remain steady, and regions like the Middle East present significant growth opportunities for Lanvin Group’s brands.

The Group plans to approach the market tactically to capture growth opportunities and market share. With one brand Adjusted EBITDA breakeven in 2023 and two additional brands expected to be in 2024, the Group is making significant progress in its path to profitability; and with much of the legwork of streamlining the organization completed, the Group sees scale expansion as a key driver of profitability, for 2024 and beyond.

The Group is built upon a collaborative eco-system and continues to work with their strategic partners to build the platform. As such, one of the Group’s focuses in 2024 will be the continued development of its eco-system with additional strategic partners that will facilitate regional growth, improve logistics and expand product categories.

Annual Report on Form 20-F

Our annual report on Form 20-F, including the consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, can be downloaded from the Company’s investor relations website (ir.lanvin-group.com) under the section Financials / SEC Filings, or from the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov).